Curves & Alphas: A Paranormal Box Set: (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (24 page)

Chapter 15

Over the coming weeks, Sophia spent a lot of time with Van at Fir Lodge. She began to work from there, too, feeling a sense of calm and peace in the surroundings and with Van, one that she had never known before. Her writing flourished and she made regular trips to the office to update her editors with progress on her latest series, and review the illustrations of the last books prior to the print run. Everything ticked along smoothly, and during these weeks of the waxing, new, and waning moon, it was easy to imagine that they were just a regular couple enjoying the highs of a new relationship.

Except for one thing. Like any couple in the throes of new love, their bedroom sessions were frequent and passionate. But it wasn’t long before Sophia began to notice a pattern. The extreme lethargy she experienced after their first time happened again after the second time, and again each time after that. It was debilitating and worrying, and made her think twice about engaging in a bedroom tryst at all. She approached Van with her concerns one afternoon.

‘Have you noticed that I’m completely whacked out after we sleep together?’ she mused as they sat on the front steps on a sunny afternoon. Sophia was cautious with her tone – she suspected what was happening, but was conscious of how it would make Van feel. How was a guy supposed to react to the notion that he’s sucking the life out of his new lover? She’d finished work for the day, and Van was taking a break from a new painting he was working on in his garage studio. She wasn’t allowed to see it yet.

‘Sometimes it’s worse than others,’ she continued. ‘Sometimes I feel better after only a few hours, but then last week I slept through a whole day again.’

‘I had noticed, and you’re right, it’s strange,’ he admitted. ‘At the same time as you’re experiencing your low, I feel totally invigorated. Do you think it’s connected? Am I somehow stealing your energy each time?’

She nodded. ‘That’s what I’ve been wondering. But is that even possible?’

‘At one time – a hundred and sixty years ago – I would’ve said no. But now I think nothing is impossible. Do you feel like you recover after you’ve rested, or are you getting progressively weaker?’

Sophia frowned. ‘I think I do, but I can’t be sure. What shall we do about it?’

‘The next full moon is in a week’s time. I think we should take that journey I was telling you about. We need to get some answers about how this Pure Soul thing works, and whether this phenomenon is part of it.’

Sophia felt excited and nervous at the same time. She’d wanted to ask about the forest that was filled with vampires and werewolves, but sensed that Van would tell her everything when the time was right.

‘How will we get there?’ she asked. ‘Shall we book some flights?’

He chuckled. ‘Not quite.’ He looked at her intently. ‘Remember Trinity Rock?’

‘Of course.’ Aside from their first visit in the moonlight, Sophia and Van had visited Trinity Rock twice more during day walks in the woods. Each time, Sophia felt in awe of it and certain that there was more to the rock than met the eye.

‘Well, as I think you’ve guessed, Trinity Rock is more than just a lump of stone. So much more. For a start, it’s a site of ancient significance to the Native American people. Many believe that human sacrifices were carried out there.’

The hairs on the back of Sophia’s neck stood on end. ‘Human sacrifice? I didn’t even know that happened in America.’

He nodded, apparently unperturbed by the notion. ‘A pit was found near Trinity Rock in the 1940s that contained twenty-three bodies, neatly arranged with their arms linked. All of them were decapitated.’

Sophia shuddered. ‘So what does this have to do with the werewolf forest?’ A thought suddenly occurred to her, one she wasn’t particularly fond of. ‘Are we in werewolf forest right now?’

‘No,’ he replied, smiling at her relieved face. ‘I’ll explain. Trinity Rock was important to the Native American tribes, but it’s hugely important to me, too. I discovered something quite incredible a few years back. I was at the rock one night during a full moon, when I was in wolf form. Something compelled me to climb to the top, something I’d never done because the surface is so smooth and not at all easy to climb. I scrabbled about for a bit before taking a run up and making it to the top. Up there, I found a deep indentation in the stone, large enough for a man to stand in up to his shins, or a wolf to sit in. Still following my instincts, I sat inside. Straight away, the trees began to blur and I knew something strange was happening. I was afraid, but at the same time I didn’t want to stop it. Everything went dark and there was this mind-blowing roaring in my ears. Then I passed out.’

‘Then what happened?’ Sophia asked, hanging off each word.

‘When I came to, I was lying at the foot of an enormous oak tree in a place I’d never been before. It was a forest, but I could tell by the trees and the lay of the land that I was a long way from home.’

‘So, Trinity Rock is some kind of portal into another forest?’

‘That’s right. Time isn’t altered through the portal, just place.’

‘Do you go to the same place each time?’

‘Yes. On that first time, I cautiously explored the area; then each month I’d go back and widen my explorations. It seemed like I was alone those first few visits, but now I know I was most certainly being watched. Apparently, the oak tree portal is linked to numerous sites all over the world. That’s why there are so many werewolves and vampires in that forest; they’re the ones who’ve decided to stay rather than return home. So far, I’ve only traveled between my forest and the oak tree forest; I don’t know if it’s possible to access other locations.’

‘Where in the world is the forest?’

‘It took me a while to figure that out. The oak tree is deep in the forest, and the distance I can travel each time I visit is limited. If I want to get home, I need to travel while the moon is still full; that’s the only time the portal is open. That gives me only a couple of days to explore – one day out and one day back, and that’s only if I don’t run into trouble. One month, I pushed hard, and right before I needed to turn back, I found a tiny village. The next month, I knew exactly where to go, so I made it there with time to look around and figure out where I was. It wasn’t easy to do that, mind you. There was only one store and I knew the attendant wouldn’t exactly be thrilled if a werewolf came through the door, looking to buy a newspaper or ask for directions. In the end, I scavenged an addressed letter and then looked up the name of the town when I got home. I was in a village in central Romania, the only civilization for miles, deep within an ancient, largely unexplored forest.’

‘Wow,’ Sophia said, truly stunned. ‘So once you knew where you were each month, how did you find out about the vampires and other werewolves?’

‘If I’d known how many pairs of eyes were probably on me during those first few explorations, I’d have been more cautious. But then I would never have found the village. On around the fourth or fifth month, I set out as usual, when all of a sudden a pack of wolves appeared. It was strange, because usually I’d smell another animal from a mile away, but for some reason my sense of smell is affected by travelling through the portal. It’s a major obstacle because so much of your perception as a wolf is based on scent. I’ve encountered other wolves before, here around the lodge, and I immediately presumed these were also regular wolves, albeit large ones. Then I locked eyes with the wolf at the front of the pack, and all of a sudden it was like someone was talking to me from right inside my head.’           

‘Telepathy?’

‘That’s right. I learned that night that werewolves can communicate with other werewolves through their minds; provided eye contact is established, we can carry out whole conversations without making a sound. It’s quite remarkable. Anyway, I hadn’t been talking to the lead wolf long when we were ambushed by a group of vampires. Some old dispute I got caught up in. It was my first experience fighting a vampire; not my last, but I was a whole lot more careful after that.’

Sophia could tell that he was sparing her the details of that fight and others he’d been involved in to avoid frightening her. She appreciated that he already knew her well enough to do this.

She briskly changed the subject. ‘What’s the plan when we go through the rock?’

‘First we have to establish that you can go through,’ Van replied. ‘Then we’ve got someone to find; a werewolf known simply as The Pack Leader. I’m confident that he’ll be able to help us.’

‘Sounds simple enough,’ said Sophia hopefully.

Van looked a little less optimistic. ‘There’s plenty of ways it can go wrong. For a start, we’ll only be able to find him if he wants to be found. It may take more than one trip.’ He took her hands, suddenly serious. ‘I’m not going to lie; it’s going to be dangerous. I know firsthand how brutal fights between werewolves can be; let alone when vampires get involved. I’m protected by my resistance to injury, but you’re not. It worries me, leading you into danger like this.’ He sat up, suddenly decisive. ‘No, it’s too dangerous. I’ve made a decision, just now. I’ll go alone this month. I’ll come straight back and tell you everything I’ve found out.’

‘No!’ Sophia said loudly. ‘No,’ she repeated more softly. ‘I want to come with you, if the portal will let me. I don’t know why, but I’ve just got this feeling that we’ll both need to be there when we find the Pack Leader, like it’ll be a wasted trip if you go alone. Wouldn’t it be amazing if I was able to reverse the curse straight away? Also, what if we didn’t have forever to use the power of the Pure Soul? What if it was a limited time thing?’

‘I hadn’t thought of there being a time limit on it. Even so, I wouldn’t forgive myself if anything happened to you.’

‘I want to go,’ Sophia said firmly. ‘I’m going.’

He looked at her with a hint of amusement on his face.

‘I didn’t know you were so strong willed and stubborn.’

She laughed.

‘Neither did I.’

Chapter 16

Despite her insistence, over the coming week Sophia felt almost sick with nerves. An old friend was in town and she’d planned to see a show with Jane and Willow, so she spent the first three nights of the week at her neglected apartment. It felt strange to be apart from Van as such a momentous occasion drew near. It was also weird to field her friends’ questions about her new man without telling the full truth. She’d always been transparent with her sister, in particular, and didn’t like keeping something as huge as this from her. But as it turned out, they were so busy with dinner and at the show that the moment didn’t arise to drop the bombshell that her boyfriend was actually a werewolf, and that in a couple of day’s time they’d be travelling through an ancient portal to a forest on the other side of the world. When she practiced the conversation in her head, she realized that it was so outrageous Jane would be just as likely to have her committed as wish her well on her journey. She decided to wait until there was more time and much more wine before sharing this story.

Besides, she and Van might have this whole thing tidied up in two weeks anyway, and then they’d just be a regular couple, albeit with a somewhat complicated history, and there would be nothing to tell. Somehow, Sophia knew she was kidding herself by thinking this, but she also felt as if there weren’t too many other options available to her. So, instead, the friends talked about Sophia’s book release party in three weeks, Jane’s ongoing sex marathons with DJ Beatz – who appeared to actually be boyfriend material after all – and Willow’s new obsession with the Paleo diet. It was really rather therapeutic, and Sophia drove back out to Fir Lodge thinking about how valuable girlfriends were.

When she arrived at the lodge at eleven o’clock in the morning, mid week, it was clear that Van had been doing a lot of thinking of his own. She’d barely stepped out of the car when he launched at her with his plan.

‘I’ve decided that if you insist on coming through the stone with me on the weekend, we’d better make sure you’re prepared.’ He had an intense, almost frantic look on his face. ‘You need training. Intensive training. And we need to start right now.’

Sophia closed the car door and gave him a kiss on the cheek. ‘Okay, let me take my bag…’ she began, but he was already leading her around the side of the lodge to a clearing where he’d set up a makeshift training facility.

‘Ideally, we’d have a month or two to get you up to speed,’ he said while busily setting out equipment on a tree stump. ‘But I’ve been thinking about what you said about us having a limited time to execute the power of the Pure Soul, and I think you’re right. We absolutely need to go this month. Which means we’ve got four days and three nights to prepare. It’s going to be intense.’ He looked up at her, breathing heavily. ‘Are you up for this?’

‘Um, yes…’ Sophia said, feeling a little ambushed. ‘I really do want to be prepared, but I’ve also got some writing work to get done over the next few days…’

‘Call them and say you’re sick. You can write next week. This is much more important. This could be the difference between life and death for you.’

‘Whoa, way to freak me out!’

‘I’m not going to hide the truth from you, Sophia. You’re adamant that you want to come through the stone, so I owe it to you to give you all the facts.’ He put his hands on her shoulders. ‘I need you to be fully invested in this training. We’ve got to give ourselves the best chance of finding the Pack Leader without getting held up by the first sign of trouble. Weapons are no use to me when I’m in wolf form. I have to rely on my teeth, my strength, and my speed. Everything we take with us will be for your protection, and you need to know how to confidently use it.’ He gave her a gentle shake. ‘Are you in?’

She nodded firmly, catching his urgency and recognizing the importance of this preparation.

‘I’m in. Wait, can I go to the bathroom first, please?’

Back in the arena, Sophia’s training began. Van sat her down on a log near the stump where all the equipment was set out. She was pleased that they weren’t getting straight down to physical training. She needed to build up to that.

‘Both vampires and other werewolves will pose an equal threat to you once we’re through the stone,’ Van began. ‘I have some werewolf friends, but most should be classified as enemies. I’ve a feeling they’ll be able to sense that you’re a Pure Soul. Someone tender and vulnerable, yet powerful at the same time, is enough to draw them out with teeth bared. There’s no guarantee they’ll be hostile, but if they are, your best bet is to try and scare them off somehow, because once you’re engaged in combat, your chances won’t be great. Let’s take vampires first.’

The first item he held up for inspection made Sophia laugh out loud.

‘Seriously?’ she chortled. ‘I’m going to frighten away blood-sucking creatures with a string of garlic bulbs?’

‘There’s a reason stereotypes exist,’ he said with a glare that silenced Sophia’s laughter. ‘Because they’re usually true. Vampires hate garlic. Seriously hate it. Is it enough to put them off the scent of a Pure Soul? I’m not sure. That’s why it’s just a part of your arsenal.’ He placed the garlic down and picked up a weighty looking cross pendant, made from bone and strung with black cord.

‘This cross will offer you a good amount of protection, too. Again, it’s probably not enough in itself to scare a determined group of vampires away, but you’ll wear it visibly at all times.’ Finally, he held up a dog whistle. When he blew on it, it made a quiet hissing sound. ‘Doesn’t sound like very much to us, but vampires have very sensitive hearing and a much higher upper range – something that’s in their favor in a hunt, but we can use it against them with a blast on one of these. It’ll be physically painful to them, and hopefully stop them in their tracks.’

Sophia surveyed the equipment that Van had presented with more than a little skepticism.

‘Right,’ she said. ‘So far we’ve got some garlic, a cross, and a whistle. I’ve got to say, I’m underwhelmed.’

‘It may not seem like much, but in combination, I hope it’ll be enough to deter them. But, if it’s not working or if there’s more than one, that’s when things start getting serious. And killing vampires is no easy feat.’

With the word “kill”, a shiver of dread ran through her. Would she have it in her to actually kill another living being if the situation required it? In her ordinary life, she didn’t even kill flies and spiders, but shooed them outside instead. How on earth...?

‘Basically,’ Van continued, ‘you’ve got two options. You can cut off its head. I don’t know if you’ve ever butchered an animal…’

‘Gross, no.’

‘Then you won’t know how difficult it is to actually remove a head from a body. Well, believe me, the tendons and muscles in the neck are super strong, and unless you have a wickedly sharp sword and a whole lot of force behind it, you’re not going to manage it.’

‘Okay, so what’s my other option?’

He picked up a sinister looking wooden stake. The wood was deep mahogany in color, with a smooth circular handle that had a cross engraved in the side. It was chiseled down to a sharp point at the end. It was modest in size – perfect for her small hands – but clearly deadly.

He took Sophia’s hands and helped her to her feet.

‘The key to success with this weapon will be taking an offensive approach. Vampires are good at attack, but not defense. They leave themselves pretty open. You’ll need to spot your opening and attack quickly.’ He thrust the weapon forward, demonstrating on Sophia’s chest where she should aim it. ‘Drive it hard and fast straight into its heart.’

They spent the next two hours practicing her stake technique. At first she was dubious that she’d have enough strength, but with time and role play, she became more confident.

‘You’ve got to believe that you can do it,’ Van encouraged her. ‘Become like a lion; fill yourself with aggressive energy, masculine energy.’ He came at her quickly and she let out a little roar and drove the stake up, stopping only when she punctured the protective foam and steel layer he’d been wearing over his chest during their training.

‘Good,’ he said, appearing satisfied. ‘Now for the werewolves.’

Over the coming days Sophia prepared relentlessly. She drilled with her stake and the rifle barreled shotgun Van provided for killing werewolves.

‘Silver kills werewolves,’ Van explained. ‘But casting a silver bullet is a whole lot more difficult and less reliable than books and movies would have you believe. A better approach is a shotgun.’ He showed her the shells, which he’d filled with tiny silver balls.

‘Where did you get the silver balls?’ Sophia asked.

‘At the craft store,’ he said with a grin. ‘You can imagine the reaction when I came into the store. I had to resist the temptation to buy a bolt of lace just to make them wonder even more.’

Sophia practiced with regular shot shells until she was able to hit a moving target at fifty yards. Her shoulder was raw and aching from the kick back, but she was extremely proud of herself. In addition, they went out both day and night, and practiced survival skills. Van was also adamant that she needed to learn to move silently through the forest.

‘At the moment, you sound like an elephant,’ he teased her. ‘They’ll hear us coming in Bulgaria.’

By the afternoon of the day they were due to travel, Sophia was exhausted, yet energized at the same time. She’d never taken an interest in hunting or other such pursuits, but found that she had a natural ability. She could even move through the forest so soundlessly by the last morning that she startled Van as he tidied away their training equipment, despite the first autumn leaves that were scattered on the ground.

He lifted her up off the ground in a tight embrace. ‘Wow,’ he exclaimed. ‘Stealthy!’

‘Did you really not hear me?’ she asked with a grin. ‘I feel a little like Katniss Everdeen.’

‘Who?’

‘Katniss from The Hunger Games, silly.’

‘Oh. Is that a song?’

‘Never mind. I forget you’re a centuries-old hermit.’ She laughed, threw her arms around his neck, and planted a kiss on his lips. ‘You totally didn’t hear me, though. Hey, I’ve got a suggestion; let’s head upstairs.’ She shimmied against him. ‘We should get some rest before tonight, but I’ve got enough energy for something else first…’

‘Excellent plan.’

It wasn’t until they were naked in Van’s bedroom and kissing passionately on the bed that Sophia remembered about the draining effect that sex with Van had on her. There was no way she’d be in top form tonight if they made love right now. She’d be lucky to even drag herself off the pillow. She voiced her disappointment to Van, who surprised her by reacting with a wicked grin rather than regret.

‘I’d already thought about that,’ he said. ‘That’s why this time is going to be all about you. If we don’t have sex, I can’t take your energy, but that doesn’t mean I can’t make you feel really good.’

‘Oh, yeah?’ she said, blushing.

‘Mm hmm.’

He circled his tongue around her nipple and gave it a playful nip before reaching into his bedside drawer and taking out a bottle of massage oil. He retrieved a fluffy towel from the hall cupboard and spread it out on the bed, and then gestured for her to lie on her stomach on it.

Sophia settled in with a broad smile on her face. After the intense physicality of the past few days, the feeling of Van’s strong hands massaging her tired muscles was close to heaven. He started with her back and shoulders, adjusting the pressure of his touch according to her responses. He moved slowly, not jumping straight to her pleasure centers, but working tantalizingly closer via her hands, arms, feet, and legs. By the time he poured oil over her butt and began rubbing it in smooth, upward motions, she was very wet and very eager for him to move those magic fingers down and between her legs.

But the teasing wasn’t over yet. He gave her pussy the briefest of grazing touches before asking her to turn over, and then repeating the process on her front. As he circled his hands over her breasts and stiff nipples, she felt achingly aware of his stiff cock just alongside her face. If she turned her face and bent over just a little, she’d have him in her mouth… But then he moved down between her legs and began massaging up from her feet, over her shins and knees and along the tender skin of her inner thighs. She opened her legs slightly, moaning in anticipation of those hot oily fingers.